Biplane fighter aces

Soviet Union

Leytenant V. Minayev

In 1943, Leytenant V. Minayev served in the 611 IAP. This unit was still equipped with Polikarpov I-153s.

In the morning on 5 March 1943, the I-153 Chaikas from the 611 IAP, covered by some LaGGs, attacked two enemy airfields, and destroyed some aircraft on the ground. Near Blagodatniy airfield, 3 Eskadrilya under command of Leytenant Minayev attacked some Ju 52s in the air and Minayev destroyed one of them north of Zaporozhskiy by using RS-82 rockets. Another pilot from this group, Serzhant A. Povitskiy attacked two other Ju 52s and hit the engine on one of them causing the engine to start burning. He finished it off with RS-82 rockets; the wreck fell near the village of Plavenskiy. The third pilot, Leytenant A. Chistev, destroyed the last Ju 52 near Melekhovskiy.
The I-153s didn’t suffer any losses but one aircraft was damaged by Flak.